Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reimagining of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Engaging

Perhaps audiences aren’t clamoring for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. Still, it’s worth noting: his richly designed vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that appears to show a geographic divide between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz embodies a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This character that he too was born to take on.

The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss

The story is this: the count has wandered endlessly the world in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a penalty for his irreligious grief over the death of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). The count has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the rebirth of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to negotiate his land assets and whose miniature portrait of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style

Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from giving us some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, as well as absurd moments that occur when Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance in 18th-century Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and in disc format from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.